Little Red Riding Hood
by deadplayer33
Summary: Madeline "Ariel" Plourde is a mutant in a heap of trouble. Betrayed by someone close, she was captured by the Mutant Response Division. To escape successfully, she must team up with her fellow convicts, along with the X-men, to fulfill her ideals of a world with equality for mutants. However, Madeline wishes to reach out for more than just mutants, and forms her own vigilant group.
1. Chapter 1

***A/N:** I recommend checking out the deviantart page of this story, since there's tons of information in the artist's description. Check it out over here: /d5tbbos/

Grunts and pounding sounds echoed throughout the empty dojo as skin made contact with a suspended leather sandbag. As the door leading into the room slid open, the frequency of the hits increased. Harder. Faster. With one last final shove of energy, the chain keeping the bag airborne snapped and landed with a thud a few feet away from the sweaty young female. Content with the outcome of her work, the braided brunette turned around to face the now open door.

"You completely obliterated that thing, as well as any competition you could have had," the figure stated pointedly. "You've proven once again that you're an excellent student to have."

"Any pupil in excellent standing has an amazing teacher behind them" the girl, Madeline, said. She grinned at the man that aided her in physical fighting skills. When her caretaker, Mr. Hayes, insisted on self-defense classes, she had jumped at the chance to work out. It gave her a wonderful excuse to not go straight back to home, wherever that was. Madeline used to live down in Manhattan with her family. Her real one. However, her father had insisted she move in with a family friend, Kev Hayes, in New York City. He was an interesting caretaker to say the least.

"Well, it's 10 in the pm, so you should head home now. No one else is here except the ghost of the dojo" her teacher teased lightly. Madeline snorted haughtily, inciting a laugh from the man that knew her better than , let alone her father. Those were old wounds he was poking fun at. Madeline used to believe in the supernatural when she first walked through the doors to the dojo at age 16. Her friends at school had made sure to fix that though.

"I'll stay a little longer, if you don't mind? I need to practice a technique from an earlier class" Madeline pleaded softly, knowing the answer before he even responded.

"Of course, Maddie. I'll let you be then."

The door shut behind him and Madeline counted his steps. Five, six, seven... He was far enough now. Madeline looked at her next victim; a second sandbag hung behind her. She closed her eyes and focused on her hands. She imagined energy emanating around her, spiraling around her hands and feet. Slowly, she was lifted above the ground, suspended just like her training equipment. Flames enveloped around her hands and feet, flickering to and fro. Brown eyes snapped open and she smiled.

These powers weren't new to her. She experienced them two years ago, and managed to control the flames. It was as simple as harnessing chi. At first it was inexplicable, but she soon learned that it was simply not something she could control. The mutant gene thrived in her, whether she liked it or not. And she definitely liked it.

Madeline ravaged the bag, flying around it and punching it as hard as possible. She threw in a few kicks for good measure, making sure to not favor one way of brawling more than the other. A vibration sounded throughout the room, and she immediately ducked behind the bag. False alarm. It was merely her cellphone. If she, a mutant, had been caught using her powers... A shudder crept along her back as she answered the call.

"Ariel, it's Kev. I'm going to be a little... late for dinner tonight. Go on ahead without me."

Surprise surprise, he couldn't make it. Madeline cringed at the use of her nickname. Since elementary she was constantly called Ariel, named after the sweet, naïve, and innocent little mermaid. The name stuck on her and followed her through to High School. She even began to introduce herself as such.

"No problem Kev. I'm heading home now" she responded, exasperated. The call disconnected suddenly without so much as a goodbye. '_That's... a little strange. Perhaps he's too tired to talk to me?_' A static fizz sounded outside the room Madeline stood in. Radio waves? That must be the reason for the interruption. Despite reassuring herself this, she stood on guard. This was too suspicious to ignore. She began to head towards the door at a cautious, steady crawl. The sound of heavy footsteps approached the door.

All hell broke loose. The doors bust open and the once tiny and barren room was filled with a group of armed men. They began barking orders at her, telling her to stand down and whatnot. Madeline backed up, realizing she was severely outnumbered. She glanced at the three letters that stood out on their uniforms. MRD. The Mutant Response Division. '_Oh God no. How did they know?_'

A sight behind the men was enough to make her fall to her knees. The MRD soldiers saw their chance in her moment of weakness and huddled around her. They began to lift her off the ground, handling her roughly. Cuffs snapped on to her wrists, locking her in place to prevent any form of fighting. Despite all of this happening, her eyes were not concentrated on them but rather past them.

Her trainer, the one man she trusted, stood there, reporting to what looked like the commanding officer, "...yes, I'm certain she can set herself on fire without harming herself. She has no burns anywhere on her body."

"Sounds like a mutant to me" the officer rumbled. He ordered his men to lead her away. Madeline couldn't even bring herself to look at the man she once called her teacher as they crossed paths. Her father was right, she wasn't safe anywhere. There was nobody she could trust anymore.

Madeline was thrown face-first into the back of a conspicuous truck. As the truck's back doors were shut, darkness clouded her vision. Now away from the judging eyes of the MRD, Madeline curled into a ball and huddled close to the ground. Her shoulders heaved from the effort it took for her to not break down and cry. It was dark in the holding area, but not enough so that she couldn't see that she wasn't alone.

"Shh, darling, now is not the time to cry" a voice snaked over her. The voice was soft and uneven, and undoubtedly belonged to a woman. A Slavic accent was attached to it and gave the voice more wistfulness. It oddly calmed her and Madeline picked herself off the floor.

"See, that's it. You're a strong powerful woman, yes?" the woman's honey-sweet voice coaxed her, and suddenly all of Madeline's past exhaustion came tumbling down upon her. Her eyes felt heavy and she just wanted to close her eyes and sleep. An older-sounding lullaby with the most sweetest of melodies that was lost in time enveloped her and carried her away. Her head fell back, but this time she landed on something soft.

* * *

A bright light brought Madeline back from sleep. Her eyes gazed around frantically, scouring the area around her. The light source came from a set of doors. Memories came flooding back and Madeline remembered being thrust through those same doors. Another mutant was being loaded onto the truck, but the MRD soldiers were doing it slowly and carefully. Madeline took this as her chance to look around. She sat up from the lap she was lying upon. The woman sat there, smiling modestly.

"Good morning, sweetheart" she chirped brightly. Madeline couldn't believe how normal the other mutant was acting. Movement behind her made her spin around uncomfortably, forgetting for a moment about her cuffs. Behind her, a tanned male stirred from his own rest. He was lean but muscular, and when he registered his location he jolted upright.

"Sonuva, I'll kill those bastards!" he swore, shooting one of his legs out and rocking the truck in the process.

"Mateus, simmer down. You're in the presence of a young lady" the woman said, taking on a commanding tone. The man, Mateus, perked up and flashed a grin at her.

"Fresh meat, eh? I guess you've already heard about my name, Mateus, but that pretty woman beside you is Nikolina." Mateus greeted, "Welcome to our family. Small and dysfunctional, but we've been held here for way too long to act as total strangers."

Madeline was about to introduce herself when a huge body mass of muscle was settled into the truck. With a warning from the MRD soldier to remain silent, the doors were shut once again. Madeline was still able to catch a glimpse of the figure sprawled in-front of her. The man was tall and well-built, and from what she could see in those few seconds of light was that he was hairy and under heavy sedation. She didn't like the sound of that. It made the impression of a dangerous mutant, while the other two seemed relatively safer. He did however look familiar...

"My name is Ariel" she murmured softly, an attempt to loosen some tension from the recent addition to the truck. She preferred to tell these strangers her nickname to protect her identity, which seemed like a silly safety measure when she was already locked up. Mateus flashed a smile and shook some of his curly locks out of his face. His charming aura relaxed the girls.

"I say we wake up big guy over here and let nature take its course" he joked, but his eyes shone bright with curiosity. Madeline smiled and stretched out her hands behind her back.

"I've got a great way to wake someone up. Sure, it might provoke him, but I'm sure he can't have that much of a temper. Let me just move around..." she grunted with the effort it took to pivot around, showing her back to the unconscious man behind her. She shut her eyes and concentrated on her inner energy. Flames enveloped her hands and she giggled at Mateus' shocked reaction. "What did you expect? They're capturing mutants, not average civilians dumbo."

"Wait! I don't think we should do this without some background knowledge of this guy" Nikolina voiced with a tone of urgency. Madeline sighed and agreed grudgingly.

"Allow me" the older woman said, hovering her fingers over the newcomer's head. A strange purple aura glowed around her fingers as she pressed each of her hands on either side of his temples. Her eyes dimmed and she blanked out, sitting completely still.

"What's going on? What is she doing?" Madeline inquired impatiently. Nikolina's eyes shifted back into focus almost immediately as Madeline voiced her concerns.

"Telepathy. I can read the minds of others, but only when they are unconscious. It's a little like dream walking" she explained briefly. "The only visions I saw were of him running. It felt endless, as if he was being chased constantly. At least, that's what I interpreted."

"Then, that makes him just like us doesn't it? Being chased by the MRD? I think he sounds safe enough to rouse from sleep." Madeline decided.

Nikolina edged closer with worry as Madeline placed a hand on the skin of the big buck of a guy. Squeezing the muscles, she was able to deduce that she was prodding some huge biceps. The muscles beneath her touch bunched up and shuddered away. A growl resonated throughout the room, causing Madeline to snap her fingers away. She barely had enough time to register that the man was awoken until she was kicked forward. The impact of the man's foot connecting to her back knocked out all her breath.

"Wait, stop! We're not going to hurt you" Nikolina quickly reassured, addressing the man that now towered over Madeline's fallen body. "We're not the enemies here."

The man, possibly ignoring the protests of the one reasonable mutant in the small space, grunted and pushed against his restraints. His veins bulged as he snapped the cuffs effortlessly. Mateus arched an eyebrow of approval at the fellow.

"This one's a fighter. Did you see that?" he enthused.

"No, 'cause in case you haven't noticed I've been planting my face in the ground for the past while" Madeline grumbled. The man, now free from the bonds that held him back, assessed the situation he was in. Seeing no danger in the three mutants in front of him, he reached out a hand and lifted Madeline up.

"Sorry about that. Surprise kidnappings coupled with receiving a burn tend to set me on edge" the mysterious man rumbled, also adorning a Slavic accent. Madeline, although sated by the apology, snorted profusely.

"I could make it up to you by getting us out of here. Does anyone know where we are?"

Mateus worked his mouth, coming up with no answers. He was almost thrown back however when the truck halted to a stop. Voices came from the back of the vehicle.

"Did you hear that? It sounded like that big guy, Vladmir, was speaking back there."

"Then what are you doing soldier? Open up that cargo door and put that mutant scum to rest. Do you know how long it took to track that dangerous freak show down? I'd get a raise just by turning that guy in, dead or alive!"

The lock on the door chimed with the sound of a key opening it.

"Uh oh, looks like we're out of time." the man, Vladmir, murmured.

That's when Madeline remembered where she had seen him before.

On a wanted poster.


	2. Chapter 2

An inhuman growl came from Vladmir's lips as the doors to the outside of the MRD transport vehicle opened outwardly. Madeline bit her lip as she crouched down in a fighting stance. If she was going to go down, she was going to do so fighting. It was hopeless, she knew it, as she was still in her restraints.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?!" the MRD soldier yelped, whipping out his gun and pointing the nozzle right at Vladmir's heart. Nikolina edged forward with her hands up, blocking his shot.

"We're going down without a fight, sir. There's no need for violence" she reasoned softly, shielding her eyes from the intensity of the sun. Madeline couldn't believe that it was morning already. It seemed like only five minutes ago she was kidnapped in the dojo. Memories of the dojo dredged up thoughts about her teacher and Madeline had to immediately switch focus.

Under the light, Madeline could finally see the age of Nikolina. She had sharp edged cheek bones and looked severely pale. Did she ever even go outside? Light reflected off of the two piercings she bore on her nose.

The MRD soldier, enticed by the calm composition of the older female, lowered his gun a notch. "Then tell that freak behind you to stand down."

Nikolina turned her gaze upon Vladmir, meeting equally steady eyes. They were alike in defiance. "If you don't stand down, all of us will get hurt. Do you understand the consequences of this?"

Vladmir's reached a hand up to wipe his mouth. Madeline finally noticed how much sweat was accumulating upon his skin. His muscles rippled underneath his shirt, and she felt like she severely underestimated how hairy he was. A thick layer of coarse hair covered his arms, and conscious of her gaze, he began scratching at his forearm. He mouthed a "sorry" to her and knelt down on all fours.

"That's unusually submissive of you. Alright, stay down" the soldier ordered, switching out his current gun with one equipped with tranquilizer darts. He stood over Vladmir, finger on the trigger. Before he had a chance to take his shot however, Vladmir grabbed his leg and pulled him under. An uncharacteristic squeal was thrown from the soldier's throat as he made rough contact with the floor.

Madeline gasped as she swore she heard a sickening snap. That's when she realized the sound hadn't come from the soldier. Vladmir's limbs sprawled out as more snaps of bones locking together and shifting of placement occurred right before her eyes. His shoulder blades arched up in strange angles, and when he looked up to face her, he wasn't human. Not anymore. Before her was a large wolf, snapping its jaws on the soldier beneath it and shaking it before tossing the man out of the truck. The soldier radioed in to the other men, and the truck was surrounded almost immediately.

"H-he's a wolf. He hurt the MRD soldier. He's gone and done it. We're gunna die!" Mateus moaned, throwing up his hands in defeat. Nikolina hushed him and glared at the furry creature beside her. Vladmir threw a chortle that sounded more like a husky cough her way before padding outside the truck. All guns were trained on Vladmir, red laser points hastening to aim at vital organs as he slowly rose on his haunches. A wolf that could stand on its hind legs? That was new. A vicious snarl interrupted her thoughts.

"You're past negotiation, Mr. Volkov. I hope you know what this means for you" the commanding officer from before said. The wolf shook its head side-to-side mockingly. Vladmir lifted his snout to the sky and let out an earsplitting howl. Madeline groaned, cuffed and unable to cover her ears. The commanding officer swore and lifted his hand.

"Fire!"

The soldiers were disorientated, but nonetheless shot at the wolf. While many of them missed, many more hit on target. Despite the ominous warning the commanding officer of the squadron had left, it was to Madeline's relief that they were only shooting out tranquilizer. The wolf let out a snarl and managed to swipe a paw across the officer's face before dropping upon the road. The officer yelled and fled to another vehicle, flanked by his squadron.

"Well, he's screwed. When we get to the mutant holding place, he's going to die" Mateus stated indifferently. Nikolina sighed and shook her head.

"They'll probably do worse than that. Death is a sweet mercy."

Madeline's eyes widened and stared down at her feet. Her running shoes blurred as she wept for a man that she didn't know.

* * *

The rest of the ride was silent. Mateus would try to catch Madeline's gaze to attempt to cheer her up, but she couldn't bring herself to smile under the circumstances. Vladmir was transferred to a different vehicle. She had begun to accept that she would never catch sight of the man ever again.

They didn't stop again after that. Not even once. It was almost a pleasant surprise when the door opened again. This time however, no gracious light flooded in.

"We're here, mutants." the commanding officer greeted mirthlessly. His face was burdened with three scars, each one corresponding with Vladmir's claws. Madeline almost caught sympathy in Nikolina's eyes as she met the gaze of the officer.

The soldiers began to lead the prisoners to their cells in a manner worthy of a funeral procession. They got placed in separate cells; to each mutant their own. At least they were courteous enough to remove her cuffs for comfort and to leave a bench. Madeline collapsed on the metal bench and shut her eyes. She had earned herself a well-deserved nap. She was on edge from everything that has happened, and the bench beneath her wasn't exactly a bed, but she deserved rest after stressing about people she just met. She shut her eyes and willed herself to sleep.

* * *

"Hey mutant, dinner's served" a gruff voice said, distorting the dream Madeline was having. She murmured a thank-you, and the man shook his head and muttered to himself. "They're picking them up younger and younger."

The man continued to distribute food at other cells. Madeline grunted and heaved herself up on her elbows. Seeing the food now, she had almost forgotten that she hadn't even had dinner before she was kidna-**imprisoned**. There was a difference in those two terms. Kidnapping was illegal; this was not. She picked at her meal, munching at stale bread and cold mashed potatoes. It certainly wasn't a meal fit for kings. Perhaps not even for peasants. She almost didn't even bother with the vegetables. Asparagus wasn't her thing, but she gently reminded herself that to be healthy enough to break out of here sooner of later, she would need the nutrition.

Just as she gagged down the last asparagus piece, she heard heavy footsteps approaching her cell. They were fast-paced and she could practically _hear_ the anger in each thud. Voices drifted down the hall, echoing in the near emptiness.

"You said her name was Madeline? _You captured my dear Ariel_!?You goddamn sonuva Asian bitch. Dishonor on your cow" a man fumed.

'_It can't be... Kev Hayes?_' she thought feverishly. There was no mistake in it. The racist slur, the joking humor adorning the tone, the endearment...

No sooner than she thought this, Kev appeared at her cell. "Gee, I thought you were kidding. Now I really _am_ going to deport you and your family."

"Kev! You're here for me?" Madeline jumped up, before suspicion overtook her glee and caused her to back away from him."Why are you here?"

Her gaze caught the MRD uniform on him, and her world came crashing down upon her. '_Not him too!_' That was impossible. Kev wouldn't have knowingly taken in a mutant from her father if he was anti-mutant.

"Yeah, I know, this looks bad. But I can explain. You know that I was part of the army, yes? Once the new senator came into power, I was switched to the Mutant Response Division as one of their leaders. Apparently my skills were needed here. This however is too much. I can't stand working with these people, let alone when they're against you." Kev said, sliding a card down a key slot by her cell. The electric bars holding them back disappeared, as did Madeline's confusion. How could she have ever doubted him? She floated off of the floor and reached down to kiss his cheek.

"Mr. Hayes, I don't think you can-" Kev interrupted the soldier, flipping him off.

"Look, I'm trigger happy enough as it is. Don't give me reason to shoot this place up and pump you full of lead" he warned playfully. The soldier nodded and backed off, giving the two a moment.

"Kev, I know that you're already pushing your boundaries by letting me loose, but there's another person here I need to see" Madeline pleaded, giving him the pout that she knew he couldn't resist.

Kev shrugged his shoulders before leaning down to whisper, "Listen, we don't have much time. That guy's gunna alert all the higher-ups and they're going to send me to hell and back for this. But ah, what the hey. I was planning on setting everybody here free anyway."

Madeline looked at him with poorly concealed disbelief.

"What? I'm pro-mutant! I swear!" he said, ruffling her hair. She hated it when he did that. It reminded her constantly of the difference between their heights. "They're even imprisoning non-mutant families that support mutants. How could I possibly support that? I'll prove it to you right now, starting with helping you. So who are we looking for?"

Madeline struggled to recall his full name, and she began fiddling with her braids. "Vladmir Volkov."

Kev narrowed his eyes at her, but led her down the hallway. He reached a discrete door that appeared inconspicuous. Sliding a keycard through the lock, the door clicked open. Madeline gasped in horror at the beaten Vladmir. Bruises and cuts covered his body and left him looking weak. He was not defeated however. He struggled to lift his gaze to Madeline, steady and resolute. She rushed into the room and held Vladmir's face in-between her hands.

"Hey kid. I'm a sight for sore eyes, aren't I?" he sputtered before lowering his head.

"Don't speak too much. We're going to get you out of here. You and Nikolina, Mateus and me. Everyone here" she boldly declared, removing the straps that held him back. Without the support, he fell against her.

"I've got him" Kev said as he wrapped an arm around Vladmir and led him outside. Almost immediately after they stepped out, an alarm sounded.

"Well fuck" Vladmir said. It almost made Madeline burst into hysterical laughter. It wasn't the time for that.

"What's going on Kevvy?" she asked hastily.

"I don't know, but it doesn't look like we're the cause of it" Kev said while pointing down the hall. Madeline followed his finger down the hall and watched as a man clad in a yellow and blue spandex suit clawed his way through a group of MRD soldiers. A blue furry creature fought alongside the other mutant, both brandishing a signature "X" figure on their clothes. It was associated with a name, but Madeline couldn't dredge up anything in her state of panic. All the cell doors were opened and mutants were clearing out.

"They seem like the good guys, don't they?" Kev murmured thoughtfully. The short man with the claws turned to face Kev as he spoke. Madeline remembered that he was still wearing the MRD uniform.

"It's been a while, Wolverine" Vladmir coughed, waving a subtle hand to him. He then proceeded to whisper to Madeline,"they're the X-men. They're safe."

Wolverine arched a brow at Vladmir before noticing that Kev was in fact supporting him. He gave a grunt of approval and followed his blue beast of a friend. Madeline rushed to follow them, barely able to keep up at Kev's slow pace. They followed all of the mutants to the roof of the building, which held helicopter landing pads. Wolverine began to help all the mutants board the helicopter. He held his hand out towards her, but Madeline took a glance behind her. Kev was struggling to keep up, and MRD soldiers were in hot pursuit.

"Madeline, don't worry about us. Get to safety!" Kev shouted. Madeline looked up at Wolverine's outstretched hand.

"I'm sorry" she whispered. Rejecting his hand, she flared up her hands and feet and began to levitate. She had to buy them time. She dove into the group of approaching MRD soldiers and punched one of them solidly in their face. He grunted and fell down, clutching his burns. Madeline, growing in confidence, continued to attack the men in this fashion. Kev managed to hobble up to the helicopter and hand over Vladmir.

"Is that Ariel?" a man asked, his head peeking around the corner. Tanned and muscular, Madeline's recognition of Mateus' voice distracted her long enough for a lone soldier to fire. A bullet pushed into her abdomen and Madeline cried out, falling back onto her bottom. Mateus, against the Beast's protests, leaped out of the helicopter. When his feet hit the roof however, cracks appeared beneath him.

"I sure hope you didn't forget about us" Mateus chuckled behind the remaining soldier's ear. Madeline faintly remembered the soldier asking how he was able to get there so fast before she blacked out.

* * *

The helicopter landed not-so smoothly as anticipated, and Madeline awoke, startled. Pain shot through her body and she remembered why exactly she was here. She called out Kev's name, but was answered by someone different.

"She's waking up. Could somebody bring some anesthesia before she goes into shock?" Nikolina's voice cascaded worryingly. Madeline groaned and sat up, toughing out the pain.

She was suddenly lifted off the ground, and the furry arms holding her were uncomfortable. They left an itchy sensation on her skin. It was the Beast and for some odd reason, upon identifying him as such, she didn't mind the scratchy feeling of his fur anymore. She cuddled into the warmth, fighting to stay in control of her conscious.

"I'm taking her to my lab. I can clean the wound and treat it there. Logan, please lead the other four. Try to be hospitable, please?" Beast offered, then opened a hatch in the ground. Madeline's eyes narrowed at the ruins surrounding them. Beast followed her gaze and flashed a smile at her, leading her to his lab.

"I'm Dr. McCoy. Hank McCoy. You're currently standing in what's left of the Xavier institute for gifted children."

Madeline tried to keep up with his words, but she was doing a terrible job of keeping awake. "Set me down. I'm going to fall asleep in these arms of yours."

Hank laughed before setting her down. "There isn't much left here that's not ruined, but I have just enough aid to help you. By the time we get you out of here, the Xavier institute will be up and running again."

Madeline took his word for it. She lay down on his counter and spread her limbs out like a starfish. "My body is ready."

The two shared hearty laughter before settling down into business. As Hank worked on her, he encouraged her to talk through the pain.

"One of the materials I don't have is anesthesia or painkillers, so you'll have to distract yourself somehow."

Easy enough, asking a young girl to talk. However, Madeline didn't know where to start. "Why are you taking care of me? Why are you letting the others stay? We're not X-men."

"Taking a mutant to a non-mutant hospital wouldn't be your best choice. Logan insisted on leaving you behind, but I've got a bigger heart than him. Which isn't saying much at all."

Madeline grew a sudden disdain towards this "Logan." Hank continued, "the others are staying because they insisted on being with you. You seem to touch the hearts of the people you meet. That, and all of them have no where to go."

Madeline thought about that. Kev wouldn't be allowed to set foot in the military again after that whole ordeal. She herself had no where to hide anymore, and no one to trust. She wasn't sure about Mateus and Nikolina, but Vladmir was wanted and couldn't hide forever, which reminded her.

"How do Vladmir and Wolverine know each other?" Her words were accompanied by a grunt of pain as Hank cleaned the wound.

"Charles Xavier had been looking for Vladmir for a long time. Vladmir has been seeking refuge for a while, but neither the X-men nor the authorities could track him down. Until now, of course."

Madeline pondered that. "I want to be part of the X-men. I want to help mutants."

Beast looked up from his work, staring directly into her eyes.

"You'll have to negotiate with Logan for that."

She smiled at that thought, wondering how she could reverse her fortune and use her powers to actually help people just like her. She'd have to pass her first trial though: the attitude and rude demeanor of Wolverine.


	3. Chapter 3

Madeline tentatively walked outside of the Beast's lab. She had spent about a week and a half in there under heavy supervision, but there was only so long a young girl could stay still with someone monitoring her so closely. Since Hank had left without a word to discuss something with Logan, she had decided to take her leave. It was a pleasant surprise to see that the Xavier Institute was almost completely reconstructed. Construction workers continued to work around certain areas, and Madeline nodded a "hello" to them as she continued past them.

"Lookin' good Ariel."

Madeline literally jumped and faced the man that addressed her. Vladmir stood to her right, leaning against an incomplete doorway. She smiled nervously and fiddled with a few stray strands of hair.

"Good afternoon, Vladmir. Where are the others?" she greeted softly, noticing how the workers began to edge away upon Vladmir's arrival.

If Vladmir had noticed the tension between the workers, he was really good at hiding it. "They're in the dining hall. I could take you there. I mean, if you want. You probably don't know your way around."

The brunette's braids bounced as she rushed to stand beside him and held out her hand. "Noble knight, lead me to the banquet that awaits me."

Vladmir chortled and took her hand, surprising Madeline, who didn't expect the joke to go that far. "I'm not a knight, I'm far from it. I'm the big bad wolf in a sheep suit, and you've made a mistake."

He flashed a toothy grin and took her along. '_My, what big and sharp teeth you have_' she thought to herself. Madeline was practically tripping over her feet trying to keep up with his longer strides. They navigated through a maze of hallways. There was no way Madeline would remember where anything was. It was as if the architect that designed the building was worse of an alcoholic than that Tony Stark guy she read so much about in magazines. They were brought to a sudden stop in front of a single door. Vladmir let go of her hand and opened the door, ushering her inside. From what she was able to glimpse, she was able to register that a handful of the X-men were in the room, possibly gathered here to discuss something of great importance. Nikolina and Kev were also inside which answered her question about their whereabouts. Mateus however appeared to be missing from this conversation.

Nikolina sat beside a stranger that adorned red shades, talking in hushed whispers. The man had a face set in concrete when he looked up at the duo entering the room. Nikolina followed his shaded gaze and bounced off her seat, smoothing out the wrinkles on her dress.

"Madeline, it's so nice to see you. I really thought that they held you up in that stuffy room for far too long" while saying this, she threw a hardly subtle narrow glance at Logan and Hank, seated across the table from her.

Frowning, Madeline stared suspiciously at Kev. Nikolina had called her by her actual name, which she didn't know. Or rather,**shouldn't**. Kev smirked and shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright, let's get this over with. We're starting off with the current topic of interest: you" Logan said, jabbing his finger at the general direction of Madeline and Vladmir.

Hank looked up apologetically at Madeline. "I tried to mention that you wanted to join the X-men, and frankly it is not going well so far."

Madeline snorted and crossed her arms as she addressed Wolverine. "I'm more mature than you think. Probably much more than you could ever hope to be yourself, fathead."

A growl escaped through Logan's lips accompanied by the _snikt_ of his claws being brandished. The man with red glasses moved swiftly between them.

"Logan, put those away. If she and her acquaintances want to join, at least give her a chance to realize that this lifestyle isn't just fun and games."

Nikolina reached for Madeline's hand and squeezed gently, silently keeping her back from jumping the other two. Vladmir, on the other hand, remained completely composed.

"I think she understands that, Summers. Thank you for being the most reasonable person here" he spoke up, drawing everyone's attention.

"And how, do you propose, we prove your worth to us and our cause?" the slim brunette inquired, brows knitted together. "Since when could we trust you, Vladmir?"

Vladmir remained silent, working his mouth and staring intently into the other's concealed eyes.

"Who _is_ that?" Madeline asked Nikolina, pointing quite openly at the brunette. "I don't like the way he's talking to Vladmir."

The other female sighed nad lightly pressed Madeline's pointing finger down. "That is Scott Summers. Cyclops. He's kind of like the deputy leader or something of the sort. That means show respect, dear."

"Well then, Scottie Snottie. I'll prove my worth on my own terms. I challenge Wolverine to a duel." Madeline declared, throwing her hands on her hips defiantly.

"Oh yeah. Real mature." Kev rumbled to himself.

Scott hardly suppressed his sarcastic smirk and turned to Logan with a nod. "Gladly."

* * *

Madeline's mouth gaped as she spun around in the danger room, used to train mutants through simulations. This, however, was not going to be a computer-generated video game. The power connected to the usually dangerous lasers and various other machines whose purpose was to hurt were shut off for the spectacle that was about to occur. Her footsteps made heavy and hollow noises echo throughout the barren room. It was hard to believe people actually trained with such dangerous tools. Madeline removed her gaze from the machines and faced her current threat: Wolverine.

"If Charles Xavier chose _you_ to be leader in his stead, he must not only be paralyzed in his legs." Madeline drawled mockingly, placing a finger to her lip in mock innocence. "No offense to Charles, of course."

Wolverine brought his claws up towards his face without a word. "Ladies first, lass."

Madeline levitated off the ground and released her flames. Taking advantage of her flight, she glanced up at the audience gathered behind a glass screen that prevented any damage to befall them. It was just her and Logan in the danger room, excluding the lone brunette male leaning against the wall to her right. Cyclops was supposed to stay in the room just in case things got out of hand.

Closing her eyes and nodding briefly, she reassured herself that things would **not** get out of hand. She was in control of herself and her powers. If anything bad happened, Cyclops was here. With renewed vigor, Madeline dove forward. She managed to land a fiery kick into Logan's abdomen, but before she could pull back, he had her foot in his grasp. Madeline squealed as she was thrown right into the wall, flailing. Madeline sputtered a cough as she forced herself back upon her feet and rushed towards him again. This time instead of attacking, she dove nimbly, narrowly missing one of Wolverine's claws and managing to slide her body through the gap between his legs. Rebounding quickly, Logan deflected her follow-up punch. She grunted as his other fist made contact in her abdomen. Madeline blinked hard before her eyes could give away her pain as blood pooled through her shirt.

"Logan, that's enough. You reopened her wound from earlier." Hank's voice drifted over an intercom.

Logan smirked and backed away from Madeline, sheathing his claws. "Looks like you've learned your place to me."

Madeline grit her teeth and socked him in the face, taking him by complete surprise. Logan cursed and lifted a hand to his slightly burned face. "Oh, you're on" he growled as he unsheathed his claws and dashed towards her. Madeline swiftly evaded his attack by feinting to the side and kicked his ribcage. Logan, unfazed, hooked her other foot with his and swept her off her feet and upon the ground. Landing on her back, Logan jumped above her and pinned her down, swinging his claws towards her. Madeline let out a shriek before his weight was quickly thrown off her by a red laser blast. Madeline looked up, relieved to see Scott leisurely strolling towards the two. Behind him the spectators began to exit the viewing room, some applauding and others suppressing laughs as they made their way towards her and their leader.

"I've seen enough from both of you" he said before reaching a hand out towards her and pulling her up.

Nikolina rushed away from the group to join them. Vladmir's face was indiscernible as he trailed behind her with Kev by his side. Wolverine picked himself off the floor and dusted himself off before stalking towards the others. He jerked his hand up to swipe at his mouth, his sudden action causing the exhausted and bleeding girl to flinch unwillingly.

"You need work on just about everything" Cyclops concluded. Madeline lowered her gaze and stared at the floor that was becoming more interesting by the second.

"Scott, that's absurd. According to your verdict she can't fend for herself, so why would you send her away? You-" Nikolina was interrupted by a wave of the other's hand.

"Let me finish. We don't turn our backs on mutants. She needs help. Help that only the Xavier Institute can provide." Before Madeline had a chance to rejoice, Logan interjected.

"You need training, but that doesn't mean you're a part of the X-men."

Hank leaned in to whisper "yet", causing Madeline to grin nonetheless despite her disappointment at being defeated.

After promising to do her best, Madeline bounded out of the room. Hank gave chase to the injured mutant, trying to catch up and yelling something about treating her wounds. As everyone else slowly departed, Nikolina hung back, grabbing Cyclops' attention.

"Is something bothering you?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder in a friendly gesture. Nikolina had begun to shake her head before she seemed to think otherwise and nodded instead.

"I feel that my power is useless. I'll be a burden to you all" she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself.

It was Scott's turn to shake his head as he responded, "No mutant gets left behind. Your power will find its uses. You can read people's minds, right?"

"Yes, but only when they're unconscious, and I need physical contact. Recently, I've been having terrible migraines to accompany it."

"I think you just need to find a way to put it to use. I never thought being a walking cannon with bazookas behind my eyes would be useful for anyone either."

Nikolina chuckled her agreement and smiled up at Scott. "Thank you."

* * *

Madeline could hear Hank calling after her as she dragged her feet, heaving herself up the staircase silently and hoping to evade Hank's persistence of treating her once again. There was no way she'd allow herself to stay in his lab for another week or longer for something that was little more than a flesh wound. Reaching the last step, Madeline looked down the hallway to see a multitude of doors. It seemed troublesome, but curiosity got the better of her as she began to open doors at random, finding rooms that no doubt belonged to members of the X-men. There seemed to be a lack of personal ingenuity in each room she visited, as the beds and furniture were all the same bland boring brand. Disheartened, Madeline leaned against one of the doors and gasped as she fell backward.

"Ariel?! Jeez, you scared the daylights outta me!" Mateus yelped, armed with an oversized pillow.

Madeline was still a little dazed as she replied, "S-sorry, I didn't mean to! Mateus, where were you all of today? You had me worried."

Mateus eyes glistened as he stared down the pillow in his hands. Madeline tilted her head to the side as she approached him slowly. She took a seat beside him on his bed and leaned her face down to look at his.

"Sorry. I'm just... missing someone close to me" he said, then quickly changing topics, asked "So which one is it? Madeline or Ariel?"

Madeline's eyes narrowed as she realized what he was doing. "Mateus, who are you missing? Is it a girlfriend?" Madeline waggled her eyebrows suggestively, resulting in a chuckle from the tanned male.

"My boyfriend" he corrected lightly. It took a lot out of Madeline to not sputter out of shock.

"I would have never guessed! Wow, that sounds so sweet" she said, grasping the other's hands in hers. "Tell me about him."

"He was my surfing instructor. I wanted to visit New York to see some Broadway, but the MRD split us up. I let myself be captured so he could runaway. It was all in vain though. Last I saw of him, he was riding in the back of an MRD truck going in the opposite direction of ours."

"So he must be a mutant too. We should go find him!"

"He's not a priority to the X-men's best interests right now. I'm now even sure where the MRD took him."

The words Mateus said echoed in Madeline's head. Of course the "X-men's best interests" wouldn't involve helping these unexpected newcomers. Especially not after brutally losing to Logan and having Scott insult her combat skills. But this was not over yet. '_I'll show them! I'll help Mateus, beat up some MRD soldiers, and get a new mutant on board, all of my own accord. They'll have to respect me after that._'

Madeline grinned mischievously. "We're not X-men yet, so our 'priorities' are a tad different. Let's enlist a little help and go through as many MRD bases we can until we find him."

Mateus' eyes widened and he shook his head disbelievingly. "A little help? The X-men are definitely out, and there's no way Vladmir or Nikolina would approve of attacking them head-on. Even Kev isn't that bold, and that's saying a lot."

She rolled her eyes and took Mateus by the shoulders. "Not **them**. There's only one organization that would help out with this."

Mateus stood up and grabbed her wrists, wrenching her away from him. "You can't possibly mean-"

"The Brotherhood" she stated with a wink. Rather than dismissing her, Mateus smiled with excitement.

"What's the plan?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.


End file.
